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John Lewis: Partnership credit card reviews

Name: Partnership credit card
Rating: 2.06 (899 reviews)

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2.06

Based on 899 reviews, last reviewed 22nd Jun 2026

300% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

No new 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

87%

Latest highest rating:

5

Problem free credit card Problem free credit card which makes it easy for me to budget my every day expenses without the worry of being saddled with unsustainable debt. Reviewed on: 12th June 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

Poor customer experience Received a text message to call New Day urgently re suspected fraud when trying to renew my car insurance online and payment was blocked. Immediately... Read more Reviewed on: 22nd June 2026

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About this product

With the John Lewis Partnership credit card, you earn points on eligible purchases to get John Lewis and Waitrose gift cards.

You can check your eligibility in minutes without affecting your credit rating. There are also John Lewis Partnership cardholder offers, prize draws and opportunities to boost your points.

John Lewis Partnership credit card reviews help you find out what it’s really like to be a customer. If you’ve used John Lewis before, you can also leave a review and share your experience.

John Lewis Partnership credit card reviews (899)

Review of the John Lewis, Partnership credit card:

JLP and Newday in cahoots.

Told I'm ineligible - despite >50 years loyal JLP customer, 5 figure credit limit and score excellent - I have after communications with JLP managers concluded that this oust has been orchestrated by JLP. From sources including JLP and Newday websites,, I speculate: JL stores are in financial difficulty, currently supported by Waitrose itself on the brink. It’s not that JLP doesn't want higher spending loyal customers, it sure does; but what it wants is custom that doesn’t sap profits.    With the HBSC JL Partnership card, each £1 spent qualifies for a point, whose number depends upon whether spent at JL and/or W or elsewhere. The more elsewhere the less JLP gets the more it costs JLP. I think it used to be one point for every £1 spent in JLP, two for every £1 elsewhere. Nowadays for some eligible purchases at JL and W 5 points for every £4 spent; and for other eligible purchases at JL and W 1 point for every £4; 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. Fewer vouchers for spending elsewhere is not a deterrent. For example, if a card-holder with £5,000 credit limit spends £4000 a month elsewhere then JLP issues vouchers. Vouchers can only be used in JL or W but it doesn't follow the purchase price has to exceed the vouchers value. A cardholder could amass a substantial sum in vouchers without having spent a penny at JL or W. When using vouchers to buy in JL or W not have to buy anything involving any extra payment for the difference between the vouchers and price. JLP would make a loss. JLP says that over the last five years £230m has been issued in vouchers. How much of approximately £126,000 a day average has gone to customers that haven't paid JLP anything. By enlisting Newday to either render higher credit limit existing Partnership cardholders ineligible or where the applicant is eligible a substantially lower limit JLP is reducing the value of vouchers issued. JLP is probably getting a share of any interest paid by new card-holders and paying a lower commission on receivables (transaction sales). JLP I suspect envisages that where an existing Partnership cardholder is rejected that person would obtain a desired credit limit from another card provider and continue to buy from JL/W whenever. Whether enough existing Partnership cardholders would want to continue loyal to JLP is a separate issue. A JLP partner qualifying for discount told me that for most goods and services there are cheaper deals elsewhere. Not a deposit-taker Newday hasn't any revenue beyond credit cards. It borrows to re-lend, loan note interest between 2% and 6+% a year - with interest rates rising costs will go up: for how much longer its business is sustainable is anyone's guess. To finance JLP's transaction, Newday has taken out a loan of £650M. Any cardholder paying the whole balance monthly is getting an interest-free loan from the date of purchase to balance payment date - if you time it carefully then up to 45 days - so for that reason alone an existing JL Partnership cardholder is ineligible. Newday plans to float shares on the stock market next year so boosting the number of cardholders is to impress shareholders. A £5000 credit limit to one card holder (unlikely to pay interest) is akin to £500 limit to 10 card holders (likely to pay some interest). The net proceeds of a stock market float (rumoured capitalisation £2.5Bn) would provide a injection of interest-free cash. The sad part is that JLP could increase its profit margin and number of loyal customers without having to resort to destroying long-term customer relationships with JLP. Instead of the vouchers issued regardless of where a JL Partnership cardholder spends, the vouchers should be linked to the myJohnLewis and myWaitrose cards. Show or scan a my-card before paying and have the voucher value credited to the my-card - and since printing on paper is costly to administer, to issue every JL and W customer a my-card which can be produced by the customer at the check-out for credit and debit with the points/voucher value. Reviewed on: 5th September 2022

Disastrous

Never had a problem with the old partnership card and I like their Christmas advert but why have they changed from HSBC to NewDay? I decided to have a look at my account on Saturday night and was told the app. needed updating. Updated the app and was unable to access it and after several attempts my account was blocked. No access to customer services on Saturday night and I needed the card for Sunday morning to top up with fuel and take my wife for a meal. I won’t be needing it again because I have applied for a M&S card which is on its way. Goodbye John Lewis, it was nice while it lasted. Reviewed on: 13th November 2022

Flimsy card

Know it was my fault. I misplaced my card but they are so thin they are just like a piece of paper. I bey you have loads of people misplacing it because of its poor quality! Reviewed on: 13th November 2022

Very disappointed

I’ve just been charged (interest and fee) for not paying my credit card bill - even though I have a letter from them confirming my DD has been set up. No email contact details, tge website says the call centre is open on Sunday (10-4), but after 5 mins negotiating the options the recorded message says their offices are closed on Sundays. Complete shambles! Really disappointing that JLP haven’t selected a provider without checking/insisting service levels comparable to their own. New credit card provider being sought after many years with JLP - not happy. Reviewed on: 13th November 2022

John Lews have lost a loyl customer

Applying for my new John Lewis?New Day card has been a nightmare. After literally hours on the phone to their helpline because I had been given wrong numbers and they could not put things right because their system always seemed to be down, I finally got a temporary card and got it registered. I was assured it would work for 7 days but I immediately tried to use it to pay for a carpet at John Lewis and it was refused. A credit card that is not accepted by its own issuer!! John Lewis has lost my carpet order and a very, very loyal customer will no longer be buying everything from them. Reviewed on: 13th November 2022

Absolutely awful

Their previous credit card was great Reviewed on: 12th November 2022

Badly handled transfer

I have been a customer for over 50 years and feel this transfer to New Day has been very badly handled. Each customer has in effect had to close one account and then open a new account with New Day, for me this has involved one call to John Lewis and 3 to New Day. I eventually managed to set up a link for telephone banking only to be thwarted by ‘face recognition’! Now not sure whether I have arranged payment or not!!! Recommend don’t do face recognition!!!! Reviewed on: 12th November 2022

Terrible service

Had a JL credit card for years, tried to set up the new card and found the whole experience a very frustrating experience. Now moved to Tesco and chatting to the Tesco help line they said they have had 100’s of people moving from John Lewis. Reviewed on: 12th November 2022

Wretched

I have tried for an hour to contact customer services, and I am told that all associates are busy. The promise that I will be answered 'shortly' is clearly a lie. This is not what you expect of John Lewis, and they have to take responsibility for their provider. Reviewed on: 12th November 2022

Appalling New Pay Credit Card

20 year plus loyal John Lewis customer. Refused the new credit card no reason given. No process for John Lewis to rectify appalled by the way this has been handled. Extremely Ill daughter, unable to pay bills resulting from additional expenses incurred. Caused extreme distress. John Lewis have lost my loyalty and respect Reviewed on: 12th November 2022

Confusing

The account number and the card number are completely different so I don't dare risk paying anything off online. There is no explanation of what happens to your old balance. It seems a pity that the move has been made to New Day day without any consultation of existing clients. I closed a New Day account years ago because it was such a mess to manage, and used only my John Lewis card. So I'm a bit gutted to find they've gone to New Day where the problems remain the same Reviewed on: 11th November 2022

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